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Post subject: String position over pickup magnet
Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 6:53 am
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Hi all,

I'm a beginner guitarist, and recently bought myself a MIM HSS strat so I had something decent to practice on. Now, I've been looking through youtube videos and this site to see about the proper guitar setup, but can't see anything about the position of strings over the pickup magnets.

I would assume each string should be centred over each magnet, but on mine the G, B and e strings aren't centred (see pics below). If I wanted the e string to be centred then the saddle would need to be angled a lot differently to how it is now (assuming the string should be centred in the middle of the saddle).

Looking at the bridge, the saddles all seem to be angled slightly to the left. Do I need to slacken the strings and adjust the angles of the saddles? Should they be at 90 degrees to the back of the bridge? Is the bridge on a MIM strat actually decent, or should I consider an upgrade? (I'm not using the trem arm, and have hardtailed the guitar with some coins.)

Anyhow, I just thought I'd ask all the knowledgeable folks on here, and sorry about all the questions. Maybe there should be a specific forum for guitar set-up questions from newbies! :)

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Post subject: Re: String position over pickup magnet
Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 7:03 am
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All Strat are made like this , strings position over magnet pole piece is not in the center and it is not important , this do not change the sound or volume output .

Play guitar and enjoy


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Post subject: Re: String position over pickup magnet
Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 8:19 am
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They may be made that way but they shouldn't be.
How do you see the strings lining up with the fretboard edges - is high E a lot further away from the edge than bottom E? It looks that way from the images.
Not so long ago I noticed that most Mexican Strats and Teles in my local shop were misaligned this way.
The answer is to slacken the strings off and capo the first fret. Unscrew the neck screws slightly and try to ease the neck towards the top E side of the neck pocket until the strings are centered on the neck and re-tighten the screws.
If you can't move the neck it could be the screw holes in the body are tight on the screws or there is finish on the sides of the neck pocket which is preventing movement.
If this is the case then remove the neck and clear the holes until the screws just slide through and carefully sand the sides of the neck pocket to remove any excess finish.
Refit the neck and try the adjustment again.


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Post subject: Re: String position over pickup magnet
Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 8:45 am
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64Galaxie wrote:
How do you see the strings lining up with the fretboard edges - is high E a lot further away from the edge than bottom E? It looks that way from the images.
Not so long ago I noticed that most Mexican Strats and Teles in my local shop were misaligned this way.


It's not a misalignment, it's deliberate. It's supposed to be that way. Think about it. Think about it some more. No, really, I mean it, think about it.


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Post subject: Re: String position over pickup magnet
Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 8:49 am
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I don't need to think about it.
Why only on the MiM Strats and Teles? Some were misaligned in the opposite direction with top E almost hanging off the fretboard.
ALL the MIAs were perfectly centered.


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Post subject: Re: String position over pickup magnet
Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 9:17 am
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The issue stems from the "import-sized" bridge, with its narrower saddles and reduced overall string spacing. Leo Fender's Stratocaster bridge featured a 2-7/32" dimension, which roughly centered the strings over the pole pieces of all three pickups. Whoever dreamed up the reduced-sized 2-1/16" bridge (and it was not Leo) did not take that into its design consideration. Thus, the strings on guitars with this bridge will never quite line up with the pickup poles. Many players prefer the narrower string spacing for ease of play but the trade-off is a less-than-optimum magnetic field for the strings to pass through, especially compounded over the middle and neck pickups due to the convergent string angles.

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Post subject: Re: String position over pickup magnet
Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 1:06 pm
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Yep I agree with 64Galaxie . It looks like the low E is too close to the edge and if possible the neck needs just a slight tweak to get the strings more centred.
As mentioned they will never be perfect and is not a big deal. :D


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Post subject: Re: String position over pickup magnet
Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 1:15 pm
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64Galaxie wrote:
I don't need to think about it.
Why only on the MiM Strats and Teles? Some were misaligned in the opposite direction with top E almost hanging off the fretboard.
ALL the MIAs were perfectly centered.



Any fender neck can be aligned easely with loosen de 3-4 bolts and pull the neck the way you want.


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Post subject: Re: String position over pickup magnet
Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 1:24 pm
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stratele52 wrote:
strings position over magnet pole piece is not in the center and it is not important , this do not change the sound or volume output .

+1. This is correct.

To illustrate the point, try striking and then bending a string at a high fret. Doing so moves the string significantly in relation to its pole piece on the pickup (especially the neck pickup), and yet you do not get a falling off of output.

Strings do not have to pass right over the middle of a magnet pole to create output. The positioning is not that critical; there is a reasonable margin of error.

jf22901, there's nothing to worry about. Enjoy your guitar.

Cheers - C

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Post subject: Re: String position over pickup magnet
Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 1:52 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
The issue stems from the "import-sized" bridge, with its narrower saddles and reduced overall string spacing. Leo Fender's Stratocaster bridge featured a 2-7/32" dimension, which roughly centered the strings over the pole pieces of all three pickups. Whoever dreamed up the reduced-sized 2-1/16" bridge (and it was not Leo) did not take that into its design consideration.

True. Without doubt the different spacing - which is mirrored by the spacing of the six mounting screws - was one of several things done so that parts could not easily be swapped between Fender's US and off-shore manufactured guitars. So's folks can't easily buy a cheaper model and "upgrade" it to a Corona one by simply swapping out parts.

Though as you point out, RV, even on Leo's original '50s and '60s Strats the strings do not pass right over the middle of all the magnet poles on all the pickups. But they play just fine: it ain't a vital detail.

Cheers - C

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Post subject: Re: String position over pickup magnet
Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 2:24 pm
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Thanks for all the help guys. :D

At the last fret the low E string is about 3 mm from the edge of the neck, while the high E string is just over 5 mm. Should the distances be equal? There's no difference at the top of the neck, and as I'm a beginner that's the only part I use at the minute!

It doesn't look like there'll be much movement in the neck - it seems like quite a snug fit already. But I can slacken it of and give it a bit of a wiggle if the strings should be more equally aligned with the neck.


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Post subject: Re: String position over pickup magnet
Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 2:31 pm
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jf22901 wrote:
Thanks for all the help guys. :D

At the last fret the low E string is about 3 mm from the edge of the neck, while the high E string is just over 5 mm. Should the distances be equal? There's no difference at the top of the neck, and as I'm a beginner that's the only part I use at the minute!

It doesn't look like there'll be much movement in the neck - it seems like quite a snug fit already. But I can slacken it of and give it a bit of a wiggle if the strings should be more equally aligned with the neck.


Look at my post ;
Any fender neck can be aligned easely with loosen de 3-4 bolts and pull the neck the way you want.

Look here how to do ;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOZAdAca2s4


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Post subject: Re: String position over pickup magnet
Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 2:31 pm
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The neck does look to be slightly misaligned.
The strings should be more or less equidistant from the edges of the fingerboard.


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Post subject: Re: String position over pickup magnet
Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 2:50 pm
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Well I loosened the neck, a bit of a creak was heard, and it seemed to align itself without any force being required from me! There's still a slightly larger gap between the edge and high E than between the edge and low E, but it looks much better now.

Thanks again for the help everyone. I'll try not to post too many newbie guitar setup questions! 8)


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Post subject: Re: String position over pickup magnet
Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 2:53 pm
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jf22901 wrote:
Well I loosened the neck, a bit of a creak was heard, and it seemed to align itself without any force being required from me! There's still a slightly larger gap between the edge and high E than between the edge and low E, but it looks much better now.

Thanks again for the help everyone. I'll try not to post too many newbie guitar setup questions! 8)


No stupid question , you are welcome

By the way , you don't need to loosen neck / body screw too much . The guy on video losen them too munch .


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